The Return Home
by Heachan
Summary: Ed finally looked up at what he was leaning against. The large heavy door stood tall before him. The gate? He had found it, finally. He slammed his shoulder against it but it didn't budge. Before movie came out, different ending after show.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:  
No I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters so don't sue me...cause I'm poor. This takes place after the first show. I wrote it when there was no word of a movie and we were all like 'uh what just happened.'

Chapter One

The weather outside was getting bad as storm clouds moved low overhead. Each passing minute, more and more rain pounded down against the windows of the house that stood at the top of the hill. Occasionally thunder would strike, lighting up the darkness. It was definitely a miserable night.

Maybe it was the weather outside, or even the sky lighting up every now and then, for some reason sleep wouldn't come. The young boy tossed back and forth, trying to find a comfortable position. He felt uneasy and deep down he knew it wasn't the weather. The house was old and every sound kept him from closing his eyes. He could even hear his teacher's husband snoring from down stairs. He finally let out a tired sigh and sat up, looking out the window. It really was a bad night out there. The darkness was yet again interrupted by another streak of light. From his window he could see the remains of his old house. The one his brother and he had burned down over eight years ago.

His brother... He glanced at the other bed in the room that was neatly made. This had always been their room, or so he assumed since he really couldn't remember much about his brother. But even so he missed him, or the part of him that he could remember, missed him. His gaze drifted back to the window. No one had ever bothered to clean up the rubble, it had remained the same over the years. But something out there caught his eye that was out of the ordinary. Like something falling from the sky and landing where their house had been. He normally would assume he was just tired and his mind was playing tricks on him but he knew what he saw.

oOoOo

The weather outside was now bad as rain poured down, making a soothing sound on the roof. But something, other then the thunder off in the distance woke her up. It didn't just wake her up, she practically bolted out of bed. The sound went away quickly but had sent a chill up her back. She wanted to just go back to bed but curiosity got the better of her. Quietly, she got out of bed and looked out the window.

Nothing looked out of the ordinary. The wind picked up and the rain splashed against the glass. She turned away when she heard one of the doors down the hall open. Walking over to her door, she opened it a crack. No one was in the hallway. She would have just gone back inside when she heard voices down stairs. Grabbing her bathrobe, she hurried out of her room.

"So you heard it too then," she stated as she came down the stairs. The three people standing at the bottom of the stairs glanced up at her.

"Winry?" Al looked down, a nervous look on his face. He never seemed as bold as he used to be. His determination to find Ed had faded some when every lead went cold. Ed was always the one who was better at research.

"What's the big deal, it was probably an animal or something. Not anything we should all be up over." She didn't sound as confident as she wanted.

"Then why are you up?" Izumi asked, crossing her arms. Winry didn't have an answer. Izumi turned and headed for the door. He husband called to her. "Don't try to stop me. I have a feeling that won't go away." She stated, grabbing the umbrella by the door. He let out a sigh and followed after her, grabbing a lantern and his coat.

"Stay here, you two." He ordered as they went out into the cold night. Winry sat down on the stairs, placing her chin on her hands. Al remained where he was with the same worried look on his face.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be back soon."

"I have a feeling too though." He said quietly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Izumi, are you sure you want to go out there?" She had that resolve look on her face that she always got when he couldn't talk her out of something.

"It won't take long, I don't get why you are so against it." She answered. Clearing it was unreasonable to be against going out in the middle of the night, in the freezing rain.

"I just don't want you getting upset again. I know how you are." She stopped, clenching the handle of the umbrella. "It's because Wrath left isn't it? Ever since he left, you keep thinking something's gonna change."

It was true, Wrath left several months ago. He wanted to go out on his own for awhile but they had no idea when and if he would return. She knew he wanted them to turn around and go back to the house, but she had to go with her feeling on this.

"Just indulge me this time." She kept walking.

The wet grass had already soaked her sandals. They walked up the next hill.

Not even the thunder slowed them down as they reached the damp remains of the Elric house. The rain let up a little but it was still coming down pretty hard. The two of them looked around and separated, searching the area. Izumi headed to where the back of the house used to be.

She leaned down, trying to see in the dim light from the lantern. She let out a frustrated sigh and stood up. Maybe her feeling was wrong. She scanned the area one final time when lightning striked in the distance again. In that brief moment, she saw it. In the midst of the charred wood was something golden behind a pile of debris. It stood out in the dull surroundings.

"Hey, over here," She called to her husband and he came over to her with the light. He couldn't believe his eyes and quickly took off his jacket.

"How'd you know," he asked, handing her the coat and holding the umbrella over her head.

She brushed the long strains of blond hair away from a very familiar face. The boy didn't look as young as she remembered him but it was him.

"When it comes to your kids, you just know." She placed the coat over Ed's body. He was unconscious and barely breathing.

Izumi narrowed her eyes as she continued to pull his wet hair out of his face.

"I wonder how long he was in the gate," She said out loud, standing up and taking the umbrella. "We should get him inside." Sig nodded silently, scooping up Ed and turning towards her.

"Where's his automail?" Izumi hadn't even noticed it was missing and that he had his limbs back. It would seem that even though he was back to normal, there was something else wrong.

"We need to hurry." The temperature was pretty cold outside. Even she had to rub her arms, trying to keep warm. But Ed's clothing was ripped up badly and he wasn't even shivering. Granted, she had a pretty good idea of how long he had been out there but even still. He also didn't look to even be alive. His lack of any expression had her worried and she knew it would worry Al when he saw him. Then a scary thought entered her mind that made her even colder. She shook it off and got closer to Sig.

oOoOo

By this time, Al had decided to sit on the steps next to Winry. She let out a loud yawn and stretched her arms over her head.

"I hope they find whatever it was they were looking for. I've gotta be up early tomorrow and this lack of sleep isn't helping."

"It is very late. What are you two doing up anyway," Pinako asked from the top of the stairs. "Was it the weather?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that, but we're waiting for Izumi and her husband," Winry explained.

"Where would they go on a night like this? They'd have to be crazy." Al turned and leaned on his knee. He wasn't sure what to think at this point. And none of them would know anything until they came back. "Well if everyone is going to be up, I'd better go make some tea." Pinako got around the two on the stairs and headed for the kitchen. There was silence between them once more. The anxious feeling was thick in the air. Al finally broke the silence.

"Winry...you don't think this has anything to do with my brother, do you?" It was the unspoken theory but she didn't think he would bring it up.

"Al, I don't know what to think. He's been gone for so long, I can only hope he's okay." The answer to her concern came sooner then Al could even say, as the door opened. Izumi stepped in first, closing the umbrella and placing it down quickly. She glanced up at the two on the stairs. They both stared back at her, dumbfounded.

"You both need to move now." She moved out of the way as her husband came through the door. He had something, no...someone wrapped up in his jacket. Winry stood up, unable to move. Al came down the stairs and stopped a few feet away.

"Ed...? Is it really him?"

"We need your grandma's help." Just as she said that, Pinako came out of the kitchen. She saw what was going on and let out a sigh.

"Figures, things can't stay quiet around here for long." Izumi walked over to her.

"I'm sorry it's so late but please help." Pinako smiled back reassuringly.

"This is all too familiar anyway. I'll do what I can." Izumi nodded and Sig followed Pinako up the stairs. On the way up she turned to Winry who was still standing on the stairs.

"Winry, you should stay with Al for now." As much as she wanted to argue, the look her grandma gave her kept her quiet. She just nodded as they walked by her. She walked down the rest of the stairs and followed Izumi and Al into the kitchen. Al took a seat at the table while Izumi pulled out three cups from the cabinet. Letting out a tired sigh, she poured them some tea. There was still this unsettling feeling that wouldn't go away. Although she still wouldn't know anything until Pinako came back down. She placed a cup infront of Al and handed Winry one as well. Quietly, she took a seat and ran a hand through her hair. Between the three of them there wasn't much said although each of them had a lot on their mind.

"Teacher, where'd you find him," Al finally asked her. Winry clenched her cup tighter, waiting for an answer as well.

"He landed where your house use to be."

"Landed," Winry asked. She had never known much about Alchemy but she had a feeling that this had something to do with it.

"From the gate...but there are a lot of questions I have that are still unanswered." The two of them knew something about the gate but not a lot. Although in Izumi's mind, no one should know much about the gate. "I hope we can find out how Ed's doing soon." She changed the subject before the two of them started asking more questions. Luckily enough they both remained silent.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's notes-Well, I've really done it. I was putting off posting the next chapter and last Sunday I broke my wrist and now type like a retard. Twenty two years old and I've never broken a bone, this sucks like nothing else. Luckily enough it was my left arm and not my right. (I think I would be loosing my mind if it was my right-) So enjoy the chapter knowing it was painstakingly typed.

Chapter Three

Almost an hour went by before they heard the door upstairs open. The three of them all turned as they heard Sig's heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. He walked into the kitchen, not saying anything. Pinako came in shortly after him, letting out a tired sigh.

"I don't get why you boys can't just stay out of trouble. One of these days I'm gonna die from worry because of you," She told Al. He looked back at her anxiously. "He's resting. Although he was banged up a lot more then I thought. I don't know when he'll wake up though."

"I'm not sure he's going to," Izumi finally said. Everyone turned towards her. "It's hard to explain but that's just Ed's body. I think his soul is still in the gate."

"So what does that mean? Can we get him back," Winry asked, getting up from her seat.

"I don't know. So for right now we'll just have to be patient. If we rush into things then we'll end up making the same mistakes from before." Before Winry had a chance to respond, Pinako cleared her throat.

"Well we won't figure anything else out tonight. It's late and we all need to try to get some rest." They all knew she was right, although they probably wouldn't get much sleep anyway. They had put Ed in one of the other guest rooms. For the time being it was best to keep him separate from Alphonse. They turned out the lights and headed back upstairs for the night. Winry closed her door behind her and let out a yawn. She took her bathrobe off and placed it in the closet where she had grabbed it earlier. She didn't have much hanging in her closet but one thing stood out even more now then before. It was the red jacket that was way too small for her. She remembered that he had left it here the last time she saw him. Even then something had told her that she wouldn't see him again. And at the time she had accepted it but looking back wished she had done things differently. Reaching in, she pulled it out and placed it at the end of her bed. When Ed wakes up she could give it back to him. He probably didn't even realize he had left it here. She sat on the bed, so many thoughts going through her mind. This night had just been so crazy. Laying back, she let out a sigh. As she stared at the ceiling, she tried to figure out her thoughts. Before she realized it about forty five minutes had gone by. She still wasn't tired and tried turning on her side. Another twenty minutes went by. Staring at the clock wasn't helping her either. She stood up angrily.

"I'll never get any sleep at this rate," She exclaimed then realized by now the others were asleep. Glancing back down at the bed, her gaze wondered back to the jacket. "Guess I should return it, maybe?" Quietly, she opened her door and peaked out to see if anyone else was in the hall. The house was dark again and silent. The only sound was the rain still beating against the house. She walked down the hallway to the last bedroom. For some reason her grandma left the light on next to the bed. Maybe she thought that if Ed woke up at some point in the night, he would know where he was. All that talk earlier from Izumi about the gate, she had a hard time believing. She made her way over to the bed. To her he just looked like he was sleeping. Placing the jacket down at the foot of the bed, she pulled a chair over. She hadn't gotten a good look at him earlier so this was the first chance she had to see how injured he was. At most he just seemed to have several scrapes and cuts but nothing fatal. Another thing she noticed was his feet reached all the way to the end of the bed. Standing up now, he would probably be taller then her. The thought brought a small smile to her face. When he wakes up, they would never hear the end of it. She could picture him bragging about it to them all. Served her right that all the teasing would come back to haunt her. She would definitely hear about it when he woke up. When would he wake up? The small smile faded from her face. Dropping her gaze to her lap, she clenched her fists around the fabric of her pants. For some reason, she wanted to cry but the tears wouldn 't come.

"So you still don't know how to take care of yourself even now. You don't even have auto-mail anymore so I can't fix the problem." That thought made her feel even worse. But for some reason talking to him like this made her feel better. Even though it would have been better if he was arguing back at her. She let out an exhausted sigh. "This is where you say something like: 'Oh Winry, your being ridiculous', or 'Quit nagging me'," She informed him but there was still no response. "Well I'd better go to bed, I just wanted to give you back your jacket." Quietly she rose from her seat. Before leaving, she found herself leaning over him to pull the blankets up to his shoulders. Then she bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "You'd better not stay like this, otherwise we'll start charging you rent." With that she turned and snuck back to her room.

Outside is was still raining and thundering hard. It was not a good night to be outside. The place where they had found him remained the same. Everything was as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "So I was too late then." The dark figured looked over the remains of the Elric house. "I wanted to get here first, now I need to find another way of getting into that house." Turning towards the house on the next hill, the individual paused before walking back to the car. "Tomorrow morning, that's when I'll go."

oOoOo

It was hard to see anything around this place. It had always been that way. Occassionally you would get a glimps of something but nothing really made much sense. He stayed crouched down where he was, trying to stay quiet. There was so much knowledge here, more then he ever wanted to know. All he wanted now was to rest. But rest was not going to come any time soon. An angry voice called out to him. One he recognized all too well.

"You told me I could get to the other side from here. I want to get to Hohenhiem! You're gonna tell me the truth about where he is!" The two had been fighting on and off ever since he had been there. He wasn't even sure how long that was. The time seemed to loop together to the point that you couldn't tell if it was day or night. He had managed to hide somewhere that he couldn't be seen. He was getting tired of all the fighting. "So what's the problem? Don't tell me the little pipsqueak's hidding now. How pathetic." The statement made him grit his teeth. He wanted to jump out and yell something back but didn't.

"This whole situation's pathetic, since neither one of us can get out of this place," Edward said, under his breath. "And I'm not short anymore, sheesh. Some things, people won't let you live down." Envy moved past him and he caught his breath before he was noticed. He was tired, and no matter how much of a break he got, he was still tired. But then there didn't seem to be anything physical about this place to him. If he wasn't careful he would fall through other objects. Of course if he could control when he did it, then that would work to his advantage but he hadn't figured it out yet. Ed couldn't help but wonder if he would ever manage to find a way out of this place. Maybe he would be stuck here forever. Or maybe he would get so weak that eventually he would just vanish like so many others.

"No...," He promised himself. "I'm gonna get back to Al. I have to. I need to know he's alright."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The sun finally peeked over the hills as the dark clouds from the night vanished. You would have never thought there had been a storm the night before. Pinako was in the kitchen, making breakfast when Izumi and her husband came in.

"Has anything changed yet?" Izumi took a seat at the table.

"Nope, I checked on him this morning." She didn't turn around as she spoke. Izumi let out a tired sigh. "You should at least be glad he's back at all. It was very unsettling around here when we didn't know anything. This way we can say we know where he is." Izumi nodded silently. Too many thoughts were going through her mind ever since last night. She knew the solution to all of this but it was a hard decision to make and she wasn't going to talk about it to anyone here. There was a familiar feeling in her stomach that caused her to stand up quickly. Hurrying off to the bathroom, she didn't saying anything to the other two but they knew what was happening.

"It's been getting worse now. I don't know how much longer she can take this," Her husband mentioned in a low tone.

oOoOo

Izumi stood over the sink, staring at her reflection. She hated this condition. What kind of life did she really have anyway? There was nothing she could do about it though. Weakly she stepped back into the kitchen, trying to regain her composure. Pinako didn't say anything about her leaving, just handed her a glass of water. She caught the look her husband was giving her and shook her head. Once she was done with her water, she turned back to him.

"I'm fine, honey, really." He was about to answer her when there was a knock on the front door.

"We aren't expecting anyone so who could that be," Pinako stated, drying her hands on a towel. Whoever it was knocked again. Winry called from the stairway.

"I've got it!" The automail mechanic opened the door to find a young girl standing there. She had deep blue eyes and dark hair that went down to her shoulders.

"Can I help you?" She smiled happily as she eyed Winry.

"Yes, I was wondering if Edward was here." Alphonse heard the knock at the door from upstairs. He put his book down after the second knock and Winry yelled down stairs. Stretching his arm above his head, he went to the kitchen where the other three were sitting.

"So whose here," He asked Pinako. She just shrugged.

"I don't know, ask Winry." She was too busy placing breakfast on the table. He walked towards the door where Winry was blocking his view.

"Um...do you know Edward?" Al heard her ask. The other girl looked around her to see Al standing there. She smiled and pushed past Winry.

"And this must be Alphonse. You've changed so much since I saw you last." She walked over to him. "It's been so long." Al looked over at Winry, nervously. He didn't remember this girl. She was familiar but it was all blurry. Winry took a step closer to them.

"Sorry, I didn't catch your name." The girl turned, causing her hair to flip behind her shoulders.

"I'm Lyra. Guess I don't know you either though. I helped Ed and Al when they were looking for the Philosopher's stone."

"I'm Winry, Ed's auto-mail mechanic." Winry's tone was dry and she reached out her greasy gloved hand and shook Lyra's roughly. Lyra pulled her hand away unimpressed, glancing around the house.

"Yes, speaking of which, where is he? I've been so worried about him, since I haven't heard from him in soo long." She spoke in such a sad tone. It made Winry's eye twitch.

"Sorry but he can't see anyone just now. We'll let him know you stopped by," Pinako told her, coming into the room. This was after all her house and she could kick anyone out she wanted to. And this girl was sending off a bad feeling. Lyra hurried over to her happily.

"This must be your auto-mail shop. I've seen your work in action and it's amazing when it's mixed with Alchemy," She praised her. Pinako smiled back up at the young girl.

"Thank you. I do my best." Winry jumped into the conversation again.

"Hey I said I was his mechanic!" It was clear neither of the girls were impressed with the other.

"Winry, you shouldn't yell at guests. Have you had breakfast yet? We're just sitting down." Winry jaw dropped as Lyra followed her grandma into the kitchen. She turned back to Al.

"Hey, do you remember her at all?" She pointed with her wrench and he shook his head.

"Not really. I know Brother was with her a lot though." It was all he could remember but it was enough to cause Winry's shoulders to slouch.

"Really?" She couldn't imagine Ed having much to do with any girl. He was always too busy and he only put up with her cause she made him. The two of them headed towards the kitchen for breakfast. _'This is silly, Ed didn't have any time for girls other then me,' _she told herself but her jealousy wouldn't go away. Izumi stood up when she saw Lyra. She knew her from somewhere but she wasn't sure. Everything was working to her advantage. As long as Al couldn't remember and Ed was unconscience then she had nothing to worry about.

"Hello, Miss Izumi, I've heard a lot about you," she said, taking the seat that was offered to her. It was Winry's chair. She grit her teeth as she pulled another chair up to the table.

"So how do you know about me," Izumi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I used to work for Dante before she was killed by that creature. Wasn't it called Greed or something. Anyway, she told me about you and that you were once her student as well."

"Is that how you met our boys then," Pinako questioned.

"Well I met them before then but we kinda kept running into each other. It's good to see Al is back to normal." She glanced in his direction. "I'm sure your brother is happy about that." He looked down and didn't answer her.

"So you were wondering about Edward, right," Winry brought up, getting Lyra's attention. "That's why you said you came isn't it?"

"Yes, actually. I've been soo worried when I didn't hear from Al or him. I was sure that something bad had happened. He always so reckless."

_'Well she definitely knows him alright but that doesn't mean anything.'_ In reality, the only person who could tell them anything about Lyra at this point, was Ed. And that wasn't possible right now. Lyra continued to chatter on and on but by now Winry was lost in her thoughts again. If this girl was an Alchemist like she bragged she was, then maybe she could help Izumi and Al find a way to get Ed back completely. But then she also wanted her to leave as well.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"So this is where you've been hidding. Not such a smart place to stay." Envy grinned once he spotted Ed.

"This is stupid, neither of us even know how to get out of here anyway!"

"Why can't you just stay dead? How many times do I have to kill you," Envy hissed. He kept changing his form, looking like some kind of snake earlier but now he was back to normal just so he could beat Ed up again. Edward was trying to block his face but didn't have the energy to fight anymore. Envy managed to hit his hand out of the way and slammed his fist into his face. Ed fell back, trying to brace the fall. He whipped the blood from the cut on his cheek.

"I hate your face. It makes me sick." Envy emphasized his statement with a kick to Ed's stomach. By now he was just too tired to fight back. Fighting Envy wouldn't get him any closer to getting back to his side of the gate. "If only you hadn't become an Alchemist, then you wouldn't be here. It's not like you did anything for us anyway. Now all you are is stuck here like me. I'm gonna make you regret it all." Envy sneered. Ed had had just about enough pain by now. He really wasn't up to having any conversation about what he should have done. He rolled over onto his back and kicked up, hitting Envy in the jaw. He grinned triumphantly.

"Not as short as you thought I was," He stated as Envy stepped back, holding his mouth. He moved forward, ready to attack again.

"Oh so one foot wasn't enough." Ed swung his leg around again but Envy dodged it this time, grabbing him by the foot and slamming him down on his side.

_'How can someone not have a physical body and still hurt so much?'_

"Come on, Fullmetal pipsqueak. Is that really all you've got? It doesn't matter how hard you can kick, without Alchemy here, you're limited."

"Yeah, well you've been limited when it comes to intelligence and you still manage fine." Edward swung his fist but missed Envy by a hair as he jumped back.

"But Brother why would you want to hurt me," Envy asked in Alphonse's voice. Ed shook his head, trying to ignore it.

"Shut up!" Envy did this all the time, it was one of those things that could really get on Ed's nerves. The homunculus laughed at his own joke. Ed sprung back up and bolted away.

"Running off again. Who said I was done." He growled and transformed again.

oOoOo

Several hours after listening to Lyra go on and on about nothing, Winry finally left and went back upstairs.

"She just doesn't stop talking. You'd think someone with that much to say would write a book or something." Her grandma should have kicked the girl out when she had the chance. Winry scratched the side of her head as she wondered to the back bedroom. Ed was still where she had left him.

"The least you could do is wake up for five minutes to tell her to be quiet," She complained to him as she got closer to the bed. Something caught her eye that made her stop for a second. There was a scratch on his cheek that wasn't there before. Blood was running down his face. She quickly grabbed the damp washcloth from the side table and pressed it against the cut. _'So does this mean where ever he is...he's getting hurt?' _The thought scared her. There was no way for her to help. With all the knowledge she had about mechanics, there was nothing she could do. "Why do you do this to me?" Asking him questions was pointless since she knew there would be no answer. Although if he had been awake, she'd probably get the same response. She felt like crying and would have if there wasn't a light knock on the door. She looked up to see Al standing there.

"Is everything okay?" He came all the way into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Oh, yes. Grams must have missed the scratch on his face last night. It's nothing big, really," She told him, in a low tone.

"I wonder if Lyra could help get him back. Do you think she could? She seems to know a lot." Winry looked down when she answered.

"Maybe she could. It's a possibility."

"You don't like her though do you." Al's statement caught Winry off guard. She thought about it for a minute before replying.

"I just don't think Ed would trust her, that's all. And I don't think that they were as close as she claims they were."

"Yeah, it doesn't seem right. I wish I could tell you who she was, but I don't remember." Al apologized. Winry smiled, glancing down back down at the scratch. It stopped bleeding and she grabbed a bandage off the table as well.

"It's okay. You don't have to worry about it. You'll figure it out." She got a small grin out of him at least. She straightened up and headed for the door. "I've got some stuff I need to do outside. Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah I'll be fine." With that she left him alone in the room. He turned back to the bed where his brother laid. Worry was written all over his face.

"Brother, I really wish you'd wake up. What's gonna happen if you stay like this. I'm not entirely sure but I don't think this was part of our plan." There was a noise outside that caught his attention and he went over to the window. Winry was moving some machinery. She probably could have used some help, considering how heavy some of the peices looked. He was about to head out there when he saw Izumi outside as well.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"So you don't trust her either," Winry asked Izumi as she help her lift a table saw.

"I don't know why but there's something not quite right about her. It's hard to explain. Everything seems to be out of reach lately," she replied, looking off in the distance.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's nothing you have to worry about. Really." They moved a couple more items before Izumi hurried off to the side of the house. She was being sick again. Once she was done she came back around with a tired look on her face. Winry didn't bother asking how she was since they always knew how hard it was on her. She didn't want any of their pity anyway. This was hers to bare and it didn't matter how tough it got, she would never take any help. Winry glanced over to the house to see Izumi's husband standing in the front doorway. Izumi looked up at him and just shook her head and walked towards the back of the house. Sig had a bad feeling she was going to do something he wouldn't like.

oOoOo

Al left Ed's room, closing the door behind him. He didn't know if Pinako wanted Lyra in there or not. As he walked down the hallway Lyra came into view. He kept moving away from the room, hoping she wouldn't suspect Ed was in there.

"How are you doing, Alphonse? I haven't seen you for so long." She smiled at him as he walked by. He turned towards her, not sure what to say back.

"I'm okay. Things have been kinda weird around here but it's always like that, I guess," For some reason she made him uncomfortable to be around.

"I actually wasn't expecting to see you here after the last time I saw you," she brought up.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well you disappeared last time to get your brother back. Oh, you don't remember, do you?" If was as though she was holding it over his head. "Anyway, it's good to see you managed to get back," she smiled again.

"Thanks," was all he could think of saying back.

"So when will Edward be around?" Al didn't want to talk to her about his brother. She just seemed too interested in him and it made the younger Elric weary.

"I don't know. You'd have to talk to Winry about it."

"Oh really? So are she and Edward close?"

"We grew up with her. She's like a sister to us. So I guess we're both close to her."

"That's nice. It's good that you still have her while your brother is away." Apparently Pinako didn't tell her Ed was even there, in theory. With that said, Alphonse excused himself and headed downstairs.

oOoOo

Ed kept running until he couldn't anymore. He found a wall he could lean on. He just stood there for a minute, catching his breath, his shoulders heaving. He was too tired to go any further. He wasn't sure where Envy was at this point. Although with all the confusion around him, it was easy to get lost. He finally looked up at what he was leaning against. The large heavy door stood tall before him. He stepped back in shock.

"The gate." He had stumbled onto the one thing he had been searching for. Immediately, he pushed up against it as hard as he could. It didn't budge so he pounded on it harder. "What? Why won't you open? Come on!" He slammed his shoulder into it now. Letting out a frustrating sound, he started to hit it with his fists. "No..." Eventually he stopped, his hands now shaking. "I've finally found it and...and I can't get out." Edward dropped his head, trying to regain some of his composure. "Am I ever going to get back? What about Al?" Silently he slumped to the ground. Behind him, still in the gate, he could hear them all laughing. Those creepy little people, if you could call them people. He could feel their eyes on him as he remained where he was. "Why can't I get back? How much more do I have to sacrifice," he asked them, only to receive more laughter. "It's not fair...keeping me here." As much as he tried to hold back the tears, they still managed to surface. He inhaled a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Al...sorry but I can't try any more...It's getting too hard."

oOoOo

Izumi walked down the road away from Rockbell house. She paused for a second thinking she heard something and glanced around.

"I'd better hurry," she told herself, heading towards the remains of the house on the other hillside. She moved past where the front of the house was and went back to where she had found Ed. There were several pieces of debris in her way as she began to clear the area. Hopefully she would find what she was looking for. After a couple of minutes and a lot of work, she found it. Although it was dirty and hard to make out it was still there, even after seven years. The transmutation circle had been burnt into the ground. "That's why he came back here. So this is the transmutation circle I need. That's what I thought." She cleared the rest of the garbage around it .By the time Izumi got home, the sun was starting to set. She finished everything she needed for her plan to work. She looked up to see Sig standing on the porch, waiting for her. He had a concerned look on his face as he always seemed to. She brushed it off and headed for the door.

"Izumi, where'd you go?" She stopped and let out a sigh.

"I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry," she admitted and left before he had anything to say back. She knew he understood and though it would be hard on them in the end, it was the right thing to do. Once she got in the door, Pinako informed her dinner was ready. After washing up, she sat down with the rest of them, not saying much of anything. Lyra seemed to take up most of the conversation anyway. She did come across as being very suspicious. Just because she knew Ed and Al didn't mean she was someone to be trusted. She didn't say anything about the Military or any details about why she ran into the boys. For all they knew she was an enemy that could cause problems for them. Izumi eyed her through out dinner. She could have sworn Edward and she had spoken about Lyra and her connection to Dante. But that was so long ago and she really didn't remember a lot of the actual conversation. Well none of it really mattered now, anything that came up Izumi could handle, alchemy wise. And anything else, she would fix as best she could. Whether Lyra was good or bad would be determined soon enough. Even if someone else had to get involved.

The night wore on and the house got quiet as everyone went to bed. Izumi and Sig went into their room after everyone else went upstairs. Sig closed the door and turned to her, keeping his voice down.

"Izumi, what are you going to do." She stared out the window as she answered, unable to look at him.

"I can't live like this anymore. I'm getting too tired. And I'm worried..."

"About Ed," he inquired.

"Yes, but there are other factors worrying me. This girl, I don't trust her. She's up to something." He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"So once again I can't do anything to help," she leaned back into him and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry but I can't stand by any longer while one of my kids suffers."

"So you're ready to sacrificed everything then?" There was a hint of sadness in his voice now.

"Sig, I'm sorry. Please forgive me," she asked him. He nodded back. He had always been understanding. There was a noise from upstairs that caught their attention.

"I have to go," she told him, handing him three letters and headed upstairs.

oOoOo

Lyra turned the doorknob and glanced into the farthest bedroom. Her suspicions were correct. She moved over to the bed to see Ed laying there.

"Should have known you were here." she leaned down to kiss him but stopped suddenly, holding her side. "This body isn't gonna last long. I'd better hurry before he wakes up and ruins everything." She left the room quickly and went across the hallway to Winry's room.

"It's lasted longer then it should have but now it's time to move to the next one," she pulled out what was her last 'Philosopher Stone'. It was no bigger then a small sliver now. Winry shifted in bed, turning onto her back. She always slept deep leaving her now vulnerable. Before Lyra had a chance to do anything, the bedroom door opened and Izumi walked in. She saw the stone in her hand and glared at her.

"So this is what you were up to, Dante. You're gonna take her body now?" Lyra returned the stare and nodded.

"This doesn't have anything to do with you. If I take her body then I can help get Edward back. That's what you wanted, isn't it? Something always has to be sacrificed. You of all people should know that, Izumi."

"I'm not your student anymore. I already know the price it takes but that doesn't mean I am going to let you take Winry's life. Ed would never forgive you for taking her away."

"He would never have to know either. He would come back and it would be like things never changed and he could be happy." Izumi just shook her head even more. She wasn't about to overlook this.

"You think you love him. No, you don't. You're still in love with Hohenheim."

"You don't know anything about him or me. All I need is this girl, then I just change some of Edward's memories and..." Izumi stopped her.

"And you think he'd be happy? He would hate you."

"You don't know how perfect I can make things. He would have no reason to hate me. Don't you want him to be happy." Dante smirked.

"If that's your plan then why not just make another homunculi? You don't care if he's happy as long as you get another stone." It didn't seem to matter what she said, Dante wasn't listening. She would have to be stopped again but Izumi knew she didn't have what it took to do it. Quickly, she clapped her hands together and pressed her palms against the floor, before Dante could respond. The ground came up and Dante was surrounded by bars. One hit her hand, knocking the stone out of it. Izumi walked further in and picked it up. "Don't want you having an unfair advantage," she said leaving the room. Dante knew where she was going.

"Why is she doing this, things would have been so much easier otherwise. I can't let it end like this," she decided, clapping her hands together. Izumi hurried into the guest room and pulled the top blanket off Edward. She picked him up along with the sheet and rushed out of the room and down the stairs before Dante could stop her. Making it out the front door, she heard Dante breaking out of her cage. Izumi couldn't tell if she wanted her to follow or stay behind. If she followed then Ed would have to stand up to her once he was back. If she stayed behind then she might still be trying to switch with Winry. Even without the stone. She made it up most of the hill before she had to catch her breath. She shifted Ed's weight on her shoulder. He had definitely grown since last time. He was heavier now, more so then when he had his auto-mail. She moved as fast as she could back to where she found him. It was easier this time since she had made a path through the clutter earlier. Carefully she placed him down in the center of the transmutation circle. He let out a small groan when she did.

"Good, hurry up and get back here," she told him as she backed out of the circle. Stepping completely out of the circle, she was about to clap her hands together, when she heaved forward, coughing up blood. She grit her teeth and cussed quietly as tears started down her cheeks. "This won't stop me now," she swore, clapping her hands together one final time.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Good, hurry up and get back here." Ed sat up some from where he was sitting. Had he heard someone? It sounded like his teacher but it was hard to tell. His mind must have been playing games on him he told himself leaning against the gate again. It started to open, causing him to fall backwards on the ground. He stared in shock but only for a second. As fast as he could, he got to his feet and bolted for the opening. He stopped short when he saw Izumi coming towards him.

"What are you doing here," he asked her in a low tone.

"Don't question your teacher!" She raised her hand at him. He panicked, placing his head down quickly.

"Um..sorry..." She placed her hand on his shoulder lightly.

"You need to get back. Winry needs your help. It's Dante." She spoke to him in a soft tone, getting his attention.

"But what about you? You're not staying here are you," he inquired, straightening in front of her. She moved forward and hugged him.

"Ed, you can't save everyone. I've lived long enough and I'm done with it. Alphonse needs you now. I can't teach either of you any more. You've grown up already. Your mother would be proud." She knew he would be upset as he pulled away some.

"You can come back with me though, you don't have to stay here." He was trying hard to control his tone. It wavered despite his effort. She shook her head, still smiling softly.

"You are always so stubborn. Never listening to what I tell you. You've already sacrificed enough, now it's someone else's turn." With that, before he could say anything else, she moved out of the way and shoved him outside the gate.

"No, wait...you can't stay here!," he yelled back at her but she ignored him. "Teacher!" The gate closed, separating them. There was nothing else for him to do here now. She had done what she knew was right. "Goodbye...Teacher. I...I hope you trash Envy," he said, hanging his head.

oOoOo

Lyra walked back over to the bed, weakly. Her body was failing her now faster then ever.

"It's not too late, I still have time." She only wished she still had her last stone. Straightened up as much as possible, she clapped her hands together.

"What are you doing," Al asked from the doorway. She turned and glared at him. He was another factor that she didn't need right now. Placing her hands on the ground, she sent spikes in his direction. He jumped out of the way, landing hard on the floor. Even though she missed, she still managed to block him from getting to her. By this time, Winry was starting to wake up, after hearing all the commotion.

"Al, is that you?" Winry rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Lyra turned and grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the bed. She didn't even have a chance to respond.

"You're both complicating things," Dante growled. Winry was having a hard time breathing now as her grip tightened.

oOoOo

Ed slowly opened his eyes, trying to focus on his surroundings. He recognized where he was all too well. As he tried to sit up, he had to stop. His whole body ached and he inhaled sharply, trying to get his barings together. Finally, his memory kicked in and he realized he needed to move. He got up on his right foot and went to put his weight on his left leg. He fell over fast and let out a loud annoyed sound.

"I have to get to Winry's." He struggled to get up again. Finding a long stick nearby, he used it to lean on. He was going to get up one way or another. After a couple of stumbling steps, he managed to stay up. It was a long way back to the Rockbells from here. "Yeah, this is great, I finally get my limbs back and for what, they don't seem to be working too well right now," he grumbled as he went. It felt like this was going to take forever as he pushed himself further. What hadn't occured to him yet was what would he do when he got there? How could he help like this. Although maybe the thought had entered his mind but he chose to ignore it. He just had to do something.

oOoOo

Al quickly drew a cirlce on the floor and pressed his palm against it. The floor shook under Lyra's feet, causing her to release her hold in Winry. She coughed, rubbing her throat. Lyra turned angrily towards Alphonse.

"You don't know what your getting yourself into. I'm a lot stronger then you think I am," she slapped her hands together again. The entire floor started to cave in under Al. Winry let out a yell as her furniture started falling. Her bed landed hard with her still on it. Now they were in the living room. Al got up slowly, his legs hurt from the fall. Glancing over, he checked if Winry was all right. She seemed to be but she still wasn't sure what was going on. Lyra pushed some broken pieces of wood off her. "Guess I overdid it. Now where were we?" Her hands came up, ready to clap. Something hit her in the face, causing her to hesitate. Al looked back over at Winry in shock. She had thrown one of her smaller wrenches that she slept with.

"I knew you were no good," she shouted. Lyra reached up, holding her face. The glare she gave Winry was icy.

"You're gonna regret doing that," she clapped and the floor launched the wrench back at Winry fast. Al brought his hand down on the transmutation circle he had been working on. Alchemy sparked to life and a wall came up, blocking the wrench. Lyra turned back to him, surprised that he could move that quickly. He finally got a good look at her face. Where the wrench had hit her, the skin was all rotted away. It made him feel sick.

"Don't you know," she smiled at him. "This is what happened to your father." She realized she was almost out of time.

"No, that's not true! How would you know anything about him"

"I loved him and he loved me. Your mother was just a fling."

"But you didn't know anything about Alchemy when we met you first. How could you know him?" He obviously didn't know her as anything else but Lyra. She was enjoying all of this too much. Just as she was about to continue, the front door flew off the hindges.

"Izumi," Winry yelled happily, but stopped when no one was at the door. A couple of seconds went by before someone limped in slowly.

"Dante,...don't you dare say another word to him!" Edward took in several deep breaths. It was obvious he was mad and heard some of what she was saying.

"Ed," Winry said, surprised to see him there. "You really did get taller."

"Is that all you have to say? Sheesh!"

"My other love has finally come back," Lyra said sweetly. That ticked him off even more.

"Shut up, I'm not as depraved as my dad. You'd better leave while I'm giving you the option." Suddenly she grabbed hold of Winry again.

"I just need another body. One more time and then we can be together." Ed looked almost dumbfounded before he snapped out of it.

"Are you crazy? I don't want to be with you!"

"You say that now, but it would be different if I was her." She pointed at Winry. "You care more for her, don't you?" Ed opened his mouth but nothing came out. Winry pulled away from Lyra, getting into the conversation since she was somehow part of it now.

"You'd have to be crazy to say something like that. The reason he doesn't want anything to do with you is because of your personality," she interjected. Dante turned, leveling her with a glare. "I mean sure, I'm flattered that you would think so highly of me but please, you could never have my talent or personality so easily." Winry let out a mocking laugh. Ed released a sigh, and hung his head in shame.

"Yup, no one could ever be Winry."

"Who said I needed your talents anyway. In case you hadn't noticed he doesn't have auto-mail anymore. So I guess he really doesn't need you anymore either," Dante shot back. By this point, Edward and Alphonse were no longer needed in the conversation.

"Maybe we should leave the girls to fight," Ed suggested to Al.

"It does seem to be a bit tenser in here now." The Elric brothers continued to listen to the argument as it became more ridiculous.

"Yah think so, he can't stay out of trouble if he wanted to. He'll always need me, auto-mail or not"

"It's so nice, she thinks of me like that. See if I ever come to save you again," Ed muttered to himself as he shifted him weight some, still balancing on the stick. He was already tired and all the arguing was only wearing him out more.

"Winry, would you stop already. This is taking too long," he finally growled at her.

"Oh I'm sorry I was such an inconvenience," she arched an eyebrow. Lyra was fed up with her mouth and finally smacked her across the face, knocking her back onto the bed.

"You're really starting to tick me off," Edward brought his left hand down to his right. The floor around Lyra moved up quickly, surrounding her. Before she realized it, there was a cannon right in her face.

"You should have died a long time ago. You're just as much a mistake as the homunculus you created." She closed her eyes and let out a low laugh that grew into an even more annoying one.

"Now what's so funny," he demanded with a huff.

"You are. Acting all noble now, correcting all the mistakes in the world. It's actually kinda pathetic. You are one of those Alchemist who caused the mistakes, isn't that right?" Ed moved back slightly, letting every word she said sink in farther then it should have. He shook his head, trying to ignore her.

"You're wrong. When it really comes down to it, you're the real reason everything happened"

"Really? Was I the one who tried to bring your mother back? If I was suppose to die, doesn't that mean the same for her? You did the same thing I did." He hesitated even more now. "All I wanted to do was make you forget all of that though and have a life here with me. No more regret," she offered. He was too shocked to respond so Al intervened instead.

"Ed, don't think about this. She needs to be stopped." He shook his head again. It seemed to clear his thoughts.

"No, not like this," he said under his breath, and clapped his hands together again. The cannon vanished. He staggered over slowly. The smug look on Lyra's face showed that she thought she had convinced him.

"I've already accepted my mistakes. And since I don't necessarily have the right to kill you, I'll just have to do something else."

"Yes that's right, Edward, you really can't kill me. You still need me. I knew you would never harm me anyway. You're so good."

"Don't kid yourself. Where do you think I've been all this time?" He clapped his hands together one last time.

"You wouldn't dare"

"Oh wouldn't I? Stop trying to figure out what I'm gonna do? I've had a lot of time to learn even more then you." Before she had a chance to respond, he placed his hand out and she vanished. Al stood up and took a couple steps forward.

"Ed, what did you do," he asked. His brother wouldn't make eye contact with him as he replied.

"Al, fix the house," his voice came out in a low tone. Al nodded and in no time the upstairs was back where it belonged. Winry walked over just as Al did, but still kept her distance from Ed.

"Where did you send her," she inquired.

"The only place she can't use Alchemy," he told them both.

"If that's all it took then why didn't you just do that to start with. Then we could have avoided the whole arguing part and everything," Winry placed her hands on her hips as she complained.

"I had to figure out how to do it first!," Ed yelled back at her. He went to take a step only to fall forward. "Oh great, I knew this was going to happen," His vision became blurry.

"Edward! What happened? Are you okay?"

"Maybe he overdid it," Al suggested.

"We'd better get him back upstairs then. This whole thing was crazy," Winry leaned down to make sure Ed was okay. He was out cold again.

"I'm surprised no one else woke up. All that noise"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The next morning the house was oddly quiet. Pinako was the first one up, she was the only one, after all, that got any sleep the night before. She started brewing the coffee when she heard someone behind her clear their throat. She turned to see Sig standing there, towering over her.

"I'll be leaving today. Thought I should let you know," he explained.

"That was sudden. Is Izumi going with you,"

"She's already gone. There was something she had to take care of." Pinako nodded her understanding.

"Well, we will definitely miss the two of you. So does that mean Izumi's giving up on Ed?"

"No, that's why she had to leave. It was something to do with him. Everything should be okay now." He didn't want to get into all the details. It would be better for them not to know about the truth right now. It would just make it harder.

"Well at least stay for breakfast before you go," she requested, hearing the coffee pot stop. He would stay anyway. There was still one last thing he had to do before he left. After awhile, the other two found their way into the kitchen, but neither one of them looked like they were awake.

"Busy night last night, you two," Pinako asked them. Neither one of them said anything that was comprehendable. She just ignored it though. "Winry, I hope that you don't think cause you were up all night, you don't have to do your chores." Winry put her head down. "Oh and not to worry, I checked on the girl Lyra. Apparently she left early this morning cause the room she was in was empty this morning." Winry grunted her response, still dreading the thought of chores.

"I should make Edward do all my chores when he wakes up," she grumbled into the table. After everything last night with Lyra or Dante or whoever she was and then Ed had to pass out as well. She was worried that he would be out for awhile. But on the plus side, at least the house wasn't trashed like it was last night. Her gazed drifted over to Al. He was just as tired as she was, although he seemed to be trying to hide it more. They weren't sure how to break the news about Ed. Although since he was still sleeping there really wasn't much to tell anyway. Winry sat up, stretching her hands above her head. She really wasn't hungry but she decided to grab something to bring upstairs to munch on later. She grabbed an apple then realized she should get something else in case Ed woke up. Knowing him, he'd probably be hungry. She set up a tray, placing some juice on it as well as some more fruit. She turned and headed for the door.

"That's quite the appetite, Winry," her grandma notice, sipping her coffee.

"Well, it's in case Ed wakes up, I thought he might want something. I'm still going to get to work." She wasn't going to make up any excuses.

"Being very hopeful there, but okay." she headed upstairs with the tray. Pinako glanced over at Al. He was actually drinking coffee. She found it somewhat out of character for him but ignored it anyway. Maybe he was just anxious.

oOoOo

Winry set the tray down next to Edward's bed. He looked so out of it but she could understand why. He had just gotten back and had to fight Dante right away. It hadn't given him much time to recover. She nudged him a little to see if he'd wake up.

"Edward? Edward, are you sleeping?" The answer was obvious since she wasn't getting any response, except him turning over on his side. She straightened up, letting out a sigh. "Typical. You would think at least food would wake him up." She left for a second, returning with some machinery to work on. "Eventually he has to wake up so I'll just sit here until then." Although in the back of her mind she knew there really wasn't any reason for her to be there when he finally did wake up. If for nothing else, she wanted to make sure he ate something. Where ever he had been he probably wasn't able to get any good food. Her reasoning didn't make much sense to even herself but it was enough to keep her there. And at least this way, Al wouldn't feel bad if he had something else to do. One of them would be there. Maybe they could even take turns for the day. Now her plan made more sense. But in reality she knew she had been worried about him a lot more then she was letting on. And she had been worried about his auto-mail, how he could get it repaired and was he taking care of it. She had worked so hard on it after all and she knew how rough he tended to be with it. But other then her work, she really did want to know where he was and that he was safe. That was what really kept her by his bedside.

She sat there quietly for what felt like almost an hour before Ed made any noise. She glanced over at him as he turned over again towards her. Maybe he was having a bad dream? He tossed his head to the side and grit his teeth. Standing up, she leaned over him, gently shaking him. "Edward, wake up. Come on." She would keep bothering him until he woke up. Nightmare or not, she wasn't gonna sit there any longer. She kept calling to him, hoping he would open his eyes.

He didn't know why his sleep was being interrupted but whatever thoughts were going through his mind, were stressing him out. He didn't want to think anymore, or at least not right now anyway. Thinking too much was always a bad habit of his and that was why he never did get the sleep he needed. There was something else too. Someone calling his name. Over and over again. "Edward, wake up. Come on."

_'Is it...mom?_' Carefully he tried to listen more._ 'No someone else.'_

"Edward, please. You need to wake up," she was starting to sound upset. "Ed..." He opened his eyes slightly and turned his head some.

"What," he asked in a weary tone. Winry sat up, trying to wipe the tears away before he noticed.

"It's nothing, I was just worried about you," she explained.

"Why?" She noted that he didn't bother sitting up or anything.

"Why do I have to have a reason. I just was. You looked like you were having a nightmare." Her tone sounded somewhat snobby but she didn't care. Quickly, she took her seat again and pretended to be concentrating on her tools.

"It wasn't a nightmare...I think. I don't know." Turning away from her, he letting out a tired sigh.

"So what does that mean." She was still trying to look like her machinery was more important to her but hadn't realized he had his back to her now.

"I've just been thinking too much, that's all. I'm surprised I was able to sleep at all with all the noise going on in my head." There was an ironic tone to his voice.

"What have you been thinking about so much?" Winry placed her tool down in her lap. She already had an idea of what was bothering him. It was quiet for awhile before he told her.

"What she said...she was right, Winry. When you think about it we were...no I was doing the same thing she was."

"How so," she demanded. "You were trying to bring your mom back cause you loved her. What Lyra or whoever she was did, was selfish."

"I was being selfish too though. I wanted things to be the way they were." Winry had honestly never heard him talk about what he and Al had attempted.

"But you didn't kill anyone," Winry tried to reason with him.

"I almost killed Al,...and teacher. In the end, she sacrificed her life as well," he closed his eyes, now realizing the daylight was hurting them. Winry sat there in shock. She had no idea what had happened with Izumi.

"She wouldn't have done it though unless she knew she had to," she finally remarked. "...And she wouldn't have wanted you beating yourself up about all this either." He turned some to look at her. She gave him a comforting smile. "You have a brother who needs you. He hasn't been the same since you've been gone." Ed looked down.

"I don't even know what to say to him," he started to sit up and turn to face her. "I mean what do you say? 'Hey sorry I was stuck on the other side of a gate and the mail wasn't working'?"Winry wanted to smack him but just shook her head.

"Not quite but I would like to think you understand your dad more now," she brought up.

"Oh, don't even bring that whole thing up," he grumbled, going to stand up only to fall flat on his face. "See what happens when you try to avoid stuff." She had no pity for him. He stayed where he was, complaining under his breath.

"Here," Winry held out a set of crutches.

"You've got to be kidding me." she glared down at him.

"Granny got these for you until you get the strength back in your left leg, okay. Obnoxious cripple." he returned her glared, taking the crutches.

"What'd you call me? Just you wait, I'll be fine in a week."

"Well it's not like I can make short jokes anymore, your past me by an inch."

"Two but whose counting," he answered, getting back up and realizing he could only use one crutch anyway, since his arm didn't want to work either. He started for the door slowly. Winry tilted her head, giving him a funny look.

"Where are you going," she asked him finally, seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere fast.

"Where do you think? I'm going down stairs." As he moved a little closer to the door, she just shook her head and stood up.

"Stop being so stubborn. You're in no shape to leave," she warned him, getting in his way.

"If I want to go I can go. You can't keep me here." She lightly pushed him off balanced, causing him to fall backwards. He stumbled and tried to regain his balance. Winry quickly moved and held him up.

"Now will you take it easy?" He looked indignant, needing her help.

"This is pathetic," he sighed, giving up. She helped him back over to the bed to sit down.

"It's okay, it's not like you don't have the time"

"That's not the point," he grumbled. She wanted to slap him again.

"Ed, you just need to sit still for once. I know it's hard since you have a very short attention span," she explained slowly. He turned and glared at her.

"I do not. I just don't like sitting around, doing nothing." She finally lost her temper.

"Yeah and you're gonna get hurt again if you don't just cool it! Why do I even bother with you!," She hollered angrily. He didn't answer her. There was an awkward silence and she dropped her gaze to the floor. What she had said was mean and she wished she could take it back. Ed slowly turned and dropped down on the bed and with his good arm, pulled the covers up. Winry couldn't think of what to say. She could hear Al calling her from down stairs. Quietly, she left the room and closed the door behind her. It bothered her the whole way down the hallway. She had been joking of course but her tone had said otherwise. She had no idea what Ed had been through, so maybe teasing him wasn't such a good idea. Although she didn't think he'd changed much but that didn't mean he hadn't. She pushed the thoughts away as she went down the stairs to see Alphonse at the bottom.

"Is brother up yet." Concern was written all over his face.

"Yes, but I don't know if he wants to see anyone right now," she told him. He let out a tired sigh and nodded.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's note-Please don't hate me those who have been reading, I am getting married in two weeks! But that is not reason to not update so I am finish the story by giving you the final two chapters. Enjoy and please review.

Chapter Nine

Most of the day went by and Winry stayed away, finding things to do around the house like she always did. She knew at some point Al went to check on Ed but she wasn't sure if they talked. Alphonse seemed pretty quiet for the rest of the day. It was now dinner and Winry couldn't eat. She was still upset about what had she said. She had to apologize. Although she wasn't sure how she would do it but she knew it had to be done. After dinner, Sig excused himself and went upstairs. Winry brought the dishes into the kitchen to be washed. She finished quickly and headed upstairs as well. As she got closer to the bedroom, the door opened and Sig walked out. She stopped short as he looked down at her.

"I'm leaving," he explained and ended it with that.

"Oh okay. Um, have a safe trip," she said back, moving past him.

oOoOo

About five minutes earlier Ed looked up as Sig entered the room. He wasn't expecting to see him. His guilt of what had happened came to mind and he dropped his gaze quickly. In the back of his mind, he wondered if Sig would blame him for what happened.

"You're not here to hit me for teacher, are you," He asked, half joking. Sig got over to the bed and handed him a note.

"She told me to give this to you. Before she left, she knew you'd need it," Ed unfolded the note and started reading.

- If I find out that you do any more human transmutations, I will come back to haunt you! I had to make sure you knew that first and foremost. But I also am glad you are safe and made it home. I'm sure you are still upset with me about doing what I did, but you need to get over it. It was my choice and that's final. You already know about the equivalent trade. You knew something would have to be sacrificed. This way it's even and nothing is owed.

There was more to the letter but he couldn't bring himself to read it. The words had started to blur together, and it was getting too difficult to finish. There was a light knock at the door that caused him to glance up. Winry stepped in quietly and closed the door behind her.

"Ed, can I come in." She didn't see the look on his face as he lowered his head causing his hair to fall over his eyes.

"It's your house, you can do what you want." His tone came out low. She took a seat, keeping her head down. She noticed the letter in his hand but wasn't sure what it was.

"I need to apologize. What I said earlier...I.." Ed interrupted her by leaning back on his pillow and turning his back to her again.

"There's nothing to talk about. It's fine," he stated coldly, closing his eyes. Winry inhaled sharply, trying not to cry. He wasn't even giving her a chance to say she was sorry. She clenched her fists around the front of her skirt.

"Still I don't think it's right to leave it like this," she added in a somewhat shaky voice.

"Don't worry about it." She couldn't hold it back any longer. The tears came by themselves. She let out a small gasp and tried to cover her mouth so he couldn't hear her. "I don't get what you're so upset about."

"Don't you ever know when to shut up." She finally got his attention. He glanced over his shoulder. "I feel bad about what I said. It doesn't matter if you don't want me to worry about it."

"I said not to worry about it because I'm over it already. I've got too many other things on my mind. You're making such a big deal out of nothing." By now he had turned around more then half way. She glanced up at him about to say something else when she caught the look on his face. Even after all that sleep, he still looked tired to her. And now he seemed a little sad as well.

"What's wrong," she asked, leaning in.

"I already told you, nothing." He looked down, concealing his face again.

"You might feel better if you actually tell someone. I know that you haven't ever really told me anything but still." She had managed to recover from her tears some. He didn't say anything back, just continued to hang his head. Winry took that as her cue to leave and stood up. As she turned to leave she heard him say something in a hushed voice.  
"It's teacher...she's dead." Winry's head turned when he said that. "There was nothing I could do." Now his voice came out in almost a whisper. Winry didn't know what to say to him. Just as the silence became awkward again, Al rushed in, also holding a note. He didn't have to say anything, the look on his face was enough. Winry turned back to Ed with a small smile.

"I'll get you guys something to drink," she offered and walked past Al. He waited for her to shut the door before he turned to Ed.

"Why didn't you stop her, Brother." He actually sounded angry. Ed dropped his head down even lower.

"I'm sorry, Al. I don't know what else to say. Sh...she wouldn't let me do anything." Al stomped over to the bed causing Ed to flinch with every step.

"Why'd she have to do it this way though." There was still anger in his voice but it had faded some into sadness.

"It was an exchange. You know how it works. Otherwise I wouldn't be here. I can't bring teacher back, Al." Alphonse shook his head and dropped down next to the bed, crying. He knew Ed was right but it didn't make it any easier. He leaned his head down, next to Ed, sobbing harder. Edward brought his hand over and placed it on his head. Al settled down some when he did. He let out a low sigh and lifted his head up to face his older brother.

"I'm glad you came back, Brother. Don't think I'm not, I just didn't...," he paused, trying to figure out how to say it.

"You wanted to find a way that wouldn't cost anyone their life." Ed understood exactly how he felt. "I'm worried about something else though." Al tilted his head, waiting for him to continue. "I managed to get back okay, but what if any thing could get through."

"What do you mean, any thing? Isn't the gate sealed."

"I thought it was but every theory about it has been wrong." Edward moved his hand off Al's head and reached for his crutch, next to the bed. "I have to go downstairs," he decided, pulling it to his side. Al got to his feet and wiped the tears off his face.

"Brother, where are you going," he asked, helping him up.

"Do you still have any books on Alchemy," he inquired as they went.

"Yeah, in the living room." They went down the stairs slowly, taking one at a time. Winry came into view at the bottom, holding a tray of drinks.

"Oh, I thought you were staying up there." It was obvious she was hoping for too much. She knew Edward was going to push himself too far as always.

"No, we've got some reading to do." He was barely able to get down the stairs at all. It was a good thing Al was there to help. They were almost to the bottom of the stairs when Ed lost his footing and fell forward. Winry placed the drinks down quickly, on the nearby table and put her arms out to stop him. Al grabbed onto him from behind but went tumbling down as well. Winry shook her head and opened her eyes to find both of them on top of her. She had managed to keep Ed from getting injured too much and Al had his arms around his brother's waist.

"Ed, are you okay," She asked, trying to sound concerned but in reality she just wanted Al and him off. They were crushing her. He started laughing quietly to himself. It was the first time she had heard him laugh or seen him smile since he was back. "And this is funny because...?" She gave him a look.

"Ouch..." Ed wince as he tried to get up. Al made no effort, he seemed to be dazed by the whole thing. "Because we're so clutzy. I mean at least I have an excuse but for all three of us to go down, that's pretty bad." He laughed even more.

"Well I'm glad I could entertain you for a couple of minutes, now get off! You're not as light as you used to be," she grumbled, pushing the two of them away.

"Al, move." Ed tried to push him off with one hand. Alphonse managed to get back on his feet and helped Ed up and then Winry. Edward held onto the railing and tried to get his crutch up from the floor but he needed help with even that. They finally made it over to the couch and Alphonse brought over his large pile of books. Ed quickly started reading through them, looking for the right information. So far he hadn't found anything. He handed the one book to Al and went to the next one.

"See if you can find anything in that one." He figured it was going to be a late night as this book didn't have what he wanted either. When it came down to it, the gate was even more of a taboo then the philosopher's stone. And even though he had been in the gate for quite awhile and knew more then a lot of Alchemists did, he still didn't know enough. At least not what he wanted to know. The chance of any of these books having any information on the topic was slim to none. But nevertheless they continued to go through each one. Eventually Winry fell asleep on her end of the couch. Al was starting to loose his focus as he went through the fourth book. He looked up from his seat on the floor.

"Brother, I don't think we're going to find anything in these books. Maybe if we went to Central's library." Ed let out a low sigh as he placed his book down. "Maybe you're right. This is getting us nowhere." he leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

"Why are you so worried about this anyway? It's not like this was ever a problem before." Ed closed his eyes and let out another long sigh.

"There's just a lot that doesn't make sense. I learned so much about the gate when I was there. Actually I learned a lot about everything. Some of it I still don't understand. If I was able to get out as easy as I did, what's keeping anything else in."

"But doesn't that mean that teacher could still be alive and can come back?" Alphonse sat up. Edward shook his head.

"No, I don't want to believe that. There's no point getting our hopes up again," he decided, ending the conversation. He glanced over at Winry. She was sound asleep, mumbling every now and then in her dreams. "She's not going to be happy when she hears we're leaving," he mentioned. She turned some on the couch, causing the blanket fall off her shoulders. Ed leaned over to pull it back up.

"Edward, you jerk!," she yelled in her sleep and kicked him in the face. Her other foot almost hit him in the side but she missed.

"Sheesh, she's violent in her sleep. Fine, go ahead and freeze. See if I care," he hissed, holding his throbbing cheek. Al was trying not to laugh but couldn't contain it. Edward just shook his head in disbelief.

"What do I do in her dreams that deserves that?"

"It's better then what she use to...oh never mind." Alphonse caught himself a little too late.

"What are you talking about"

"It's really nothing important. I don't know why I even said anything." He was too afraid of what Winry would do to him otherwise.

"Okay, if you say so." Ed leaned on the arm rest. He was more tired then he realized. But the thought of going all the way back upstairs seemed like too much. Plus Al seemed to be tired as well. He kept looking through the books, but eventually he would fall asleep too. Ed got too comfortable and could feel his eyes closing. He could hear Al saying something about the book he was reading but didn't know what he said. He just nodded and mumbled something back before his head tilted to the side. Al glanced up to see Ed glazing over. He stood up and went over to the chair by the light. He figured he'd keep reading until he fell asleep as well.


	10. Chapter 10

Morning came quickly. The sun was starting to peek over the hills in the distance. Winry felt a chill and rolled over, rubbing her arms together. Half of her blanket was missing. She glanced down to where it was to see that Ed had stolen that half. She grimaced, knowing she wouldn't be able to get it back. Getting up, she grabbed another one from the chair across the room. She didn't see Al anywhere. He must have gone to his room at some point. Tossing the rest of 'her' blanket to Ed's side of the couch, she sat back down and got comfortable. Just as she closed her eyes she heard Ed from his sleep. She could have just ignored it but gave in and looked over at him. It was the second time he had done it in her presence. He was muttering something and clenching his teeth. She wondered what it was that he dreamt about that bothered him so much. Although considering everything, there was probably plenty to pick from, but Al never seemed to have trouble sleeping. She leaned over him and shook him softly. He let out a gasp and turned away from her.

"Ed, stop doing that," she said, getting back over to her side of the couch. She moved over the edge to pick up one of the books off the floor. It was laying open, face down. "You'd think they would take better care of their books. At least Ed." Before she had a chance to set the book back down, Ed let out a yell that made her jump. He bolted up, wide awake, breathing hard. "Are you okay," she asked, trying to calm herself down as well.

"Um...," he wasn't sure what to say, all he could do was take a couple of deep breaths. "I'll be fine, sorry about that." He rubbed his head wearily.

"There's no reason to apologize, but I'm worried about you."

"You shouldn't," he got up abruptly from the couch.

"But Edward..." It was too late, he lost his balance and fell over. She tried to keep from laughing.

"Great, can't even exit right," He groaned, sitting up. "This is going to drive me nuts!" Winry went over and leaned down to his level.

"Well then for today we should really work on getting you back to full strength, okay."

"I guess so but you're only good with auto-mail," he pointed out. She gave him a look.

"How hard can it be" She took a seat in front of him and grabbed his left foot.

"That's not gonna help." He squirmed some but couldn't get away.

"Can you even feel anything." she started tickling the bottom of his foot. He started laughing and leaned back against the couch.

"Come on, knock it off, I can't even pull away if I want."

"Well then at least we know that much, so the rest can't be that hard. You just need to stop being lazy."

"You're really missing the short jokes, aren't you," he stated through clenched teeth.

"Oh I can always find something else that bothers you, it's not that hard." She finally stood up and helped him get to his feet. "Try not using the crutch." He attempted to place his weight on the one foot but every time, he felt it give way.

"It's too early for this, can't I even get breakfast first?"

"Sheesh, where have you been? All you do is complain."

"I've been in a place where there's no breakfast, that's where." He tried to move again and ended up leaning on the side table. "I swear you're getting joy out of this, all those times you praised your own work and now, I need it the most." Winry wiped the smirk off her face.

"I don't enjoy any of this. Although you do have to admit life was easier when you had auto-mail"

"Life was easier when I was six, what's your point?" He moved closer to the kitchen, balancing against the back of the couch now.

"You're never going to have any appreciation for my work. I should just accept it." He was going to respond but fell over again, this time he landed behind the couch, out of sight. She let out a huff and walked around to help him up again.

"Why do we always fight? Why can't we for five minutes just have a nice conversation?"

"It would be nice since I haven't seen you for so long, but you never tell me anything, so that's probably why we fight."

"Help me into the kitchen for breakfast and I will tell you anything you want to know." She smiled and took his arm. They got into the kitchen and Ed took a seat, letting out a tired yawn. Just the walk to the kitchen wore him out. He glanced down at his right arm. It hung lifelessly at his side. He tried to bring it up and managed to move it some. This was so frustrating. He had wanted to get back to normal for so long. He never thought about having to work his muscles this much. Winry started up the stove and pulled some ingredients out of the fridge.

"So where have you really been? Other then a place that doesn't have breakfast," she said as she pulled out a pan.

"It's kinda hard to explain. There's this gate and inside it is...um, well..." He leaned on his hand, trying to think about how to phrase it. "I guess people go there when they die. It's where I went to get Al's soul back and it's where Wrath came from."  
"What's it like there." The look on her face showed how shocked she was already.

"It's not a nice place to be. It's like there's no way to tell time there, and nothing makes sense." Just thinking about it, sent a chill up his back.

"So that's where you've been for two years? How'd you survive?"

"I wasn't there for that long. There's another side to the gate. Sort of like another world." Winry looked over her shoulder, arching an eyebrow.

"So there's another Resembol and Central?"

"Not quite. They have other cities though."

"So how did you get from there back into the gate?" Edward sniffed the air and noticed the smoke coming from the stove.

"Um, are you burning something?" His question caused her to turn around and start panicking.

"It's okay, I didn't burn it...a lot." Her face was turning red. Ed covered his laughter. "Anyway, back the the question," Winry wasn't getting off topic.

"Let's see...My dad was actually the one who figured out how to get me back. I can't remember everything that happened since then. I think the gate messes with your head"

"Your dad was over there? And you got along for more then five minutes?" She seemed surprised. Edward let out a tired sigh and shook his head.

"Yeah, he's not always so bad. He worked really hard to find a way back."

"But he's still there?"

"I guess so, for some reason he didn't seem to mind it though." He let out another loud yawn. Winry finished their breakfast and placed it on the table. "Any more questions," he asked, waiting to eat.

"Nope, I think I'm done for now." He smiled and started eating.

oOoOo

After breakfast, Ed got up and moved the chair with him across the room to the window.

"For some reason things seemed to have stayed the same here since I've been gone," he mentioned. Winry stood up and brought their plates over to the sink.

"So you think you've changed so much?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Where will you and Al go from here? You usually leave as soon as you can."

"We were thinking of going back to Central. I have to make sure the Gate doesn't open again. If I could get out, other stuff might be able to get out."

"What if you don't find anything in Central? What will you do then?"

"Then I guess we'll come home then. It's not like there's any reason to stay in Central." Winry smiled quietly to herself. She was worried that once they left that they wouldn't come back.

oOoOo

Two weeks went by and Ed was back to normal thanks to Winry's help. They had worked hard every day and now he could leave with Al. Pinako came down into the kitchen to see Winry sitting at the table, sulking.

"What's wrong? Did they leave already," she asked, noting the sour look on her granddaughter's face.

"No, they're in the back...doing what they always do." Pinako could hear the two outside, sparring.

"Hah, you call that a punch, Al," Ed yelled as he dodged.

"Well stop running away all the time," Al said back,charging his brother again.

"I hope he breaks something. After all that hard work, he's fooling around like this?"

"Let them have some fun, it's not like they've been able to in a while." Winry let out a huff and crossed her arms in front of her.

"They should be packing for their trip. They're going to miss their train and I'm not going to listen to any whining when that happens."

"Don't worry, they still have two hours. It'll be fine." Pinako told her. A couple more minutes went by and the two came into the kitchen, completely worn out.

"Well you're both still alive at least," Winry stated. Ed grabbed two glasses from the cabinet and started to fill them with water.

"And here I thought that I would have no trouble beating him. Yeah right, he's just as tough as ever," Edward told Winry and Pinako.

"I've been training with teacher, what did you expect," Al brought up, taking his glass from his brother. Ed drank his quickly and placed the cup in the sink.

"I'm gonna grab a shower before we leave," he added and headed upstairs. Al finished his water as well and let out a sigh.

"I guess I should start packing." Winry and Pinako seemed a little sadder when he mentioned it. "We shouldn't be gone that long. Brother just wants to double check on this. And we're not going to do anything dangerous so you don't have to worry," he promised them. Winry gave him a threatening glare.

"You'd better stay out of trouble, and you better keep him out of trouble after all the hard work I've been through," she warned him. Al swallowed hard as she got closer to him, holding her wretch tightly.

"Well, I don't think Ed would do anything dangerous, you don't have to worry." He tried to get her to calm down but it only fired her up more.

"Yes he would and you'd better stop him if anything comes up. This is more then auto-mail, Al. Now he can get hurt easier."

"Shouldn't you be telling him this?" He was now hiding on his side of the table.

"And you should keep that in mind too, Al. You're not as invincible anymore either," Pinako mentioned.

"Yeah, I know." He nodded in agreement.

"But Al won't jump into a situation, Ed will," Winry brought up. She glanced around to see that Al had disappeared upstairs. She slumped her shoulders and let out a huff. "They're both going to die, I just know it."

"Or they just get maimed again and we make a lot of money. Then you can lecture him all you want then," Pinako suggested. Winry thought about it for a second.

"Well I could use some new tools but I shouldn't think about it like that. I really don't want them to get hurt." Before they knew it, it was time to go to the train station. Pinako said goodbye at the house before they left. The station was empty. There weren't too many people there. Winry smiled sweetly at Ed.

"Now stay out of trouble," she reminded him.

"I always do." She turned to Al with not as sweet a disposition.

"And you keep him out of trouble, understand?" he hid behind his brother, trying not to tremble so much.

"Brother, she's scary."

"And she thinks I can't stay out of trouble. What is he, my babysitter?" The whistle blew and people started getting on the train. Ed picked up their suitcase and gave Winry one more smile.

"Well we'd better get going." He glanced back at Al.

"Okay, but please take care of yourselves," she added one more concern. Al gave her a hug and headed for the door to the train. Ed leaned in to hug her as well.

"We'll be careful, I promise," he said into her ear. "And I'll tell you all about our trip when we get back." With that said, all the tears she was holding back came gushing out. She started shaking in his arms.

"I don't want you to go," she realized, holding onto him more. Ed closed his eyes, trying to make this as easy as possible.

"Winry, we have to do this. Please don't make it harder then it has to be." She finally let go and pulled back. Eventually she looked up at him and smiled, although it wasn't easy. She watched as they got on board and the train started off, leaving her to stand alone on the station's platform.

Ed leaned on his arm, watching the world go by, out the window.

"She really didn't want us to leave, did she, Ed," Alphonse brought up. Ed let out a groan as he placed his hands behind his head and leaned back. He closed his eyes as though to be thinking.

"Let's make this a short trip. I really don't want to be gone too long," he answered which was better then what Al thought he was going to say. Usually he would get something like _'I wish she wouldn't carry on so much'_, but this time seemed different.

"Yeah, I want to get back too. After all that traveling we use to do, it's nice to just stay in one place."

"Sounds like you're remembering more now," Ed mentioned, opening one eye.

"It's starting to come back, slowly." With every thing going back to normal, they might actually get to enjoy themselves, which was something they hadn't had in a long time. So maybe this was how their teacher wanted it to be.

the end


End file.
